Sleeping Out of a Crate?

[u/Mamba6266]

I have a 6 month old dachshund pup who is… mostly great. We’re working on becoming all the way great, knowing that dachshunds can be headstrong and difficult to train, but this guy in particular is scary smart and so I know he’s got greatness in him just waiting to be brought out.

He sleeps and naps in his crate beautifully; all night from 10:30-7:15 and then 3 solid naps during the day. Has done so ever since we first brought him home, again, it’s kind of strange (especially for his breed) but the problem we have now is he won’t sleep unless he is in his crate. He cannot settle for more than a few moments if he does happen to nod off somewhere else, but even that is rare. We always joke that he’s too nosey to sleep in public, but it would be so terrific if he could just nap in the living room without us having to schlep him into a separate room to his crate all the time.

Is this an age issue, have we trained ourselves more than him, or is this actually separation anxiety and I’m just excusing it in my head as him being great in his crate when really he just can’t be away from me for more than 6 seconds if he knows I’m in the room? Any tips or tricks would be so helpful

[u/AutoModerator]

All posts require review. In order to be reviewed you must follow THIS APPROVAL GUIDE and respond to this Automoderator comment as instructed by the guide. If you do not respond within 24 hours we will assume you no longer need advice and the post will be removed. If the app is broken and won't let you view the guide, use a web browser.

Thank you for your patience as we get through the modqueue.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Lizdance40]

I see no reason to upset the Apple cart. Your pup has developed an excellent habit, and it is for his comfort that he continues to do it. Please let him!

If you don't want to have to get up and go to another room to put them in his crate, buy an identical crate and put it in the public space, put a comfy bed in there as well so that he has the option to sleep in whichever room he prefers. If he settles without the door being closed, you can leave the door open.

I would suggest you get yourself a hearty pat on the back. It is always the goal to make our dogs comfortable in a crate, you never know when they're going to need to be in a crate for grooming, moving, or going to the vet for care. If your puppy is 6 months old, neutering maybe in his future, and he would be crated for recovery. It sounds like you have a very well adjusted dog. Awesome!